Are DJ Facades still in style or on their way out?

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Are DJ Facades Still in Style? Or On their way out of style for DJs?

  • Facades are Very Much in Style, and Going to be used for the next 10+ years by DJs

    Votes: 7 87.5%
  • Facades have seen their peak, and are already on their way out. 2- 3 More years tops!

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Facades are still very popular, but I think they will decline in popularity over the next 5 years

    Votes: 1 12.5%
  • I hate Facades, and have never believed them to be "In Style" for DJs to use.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    8
That's where a discussion is needed in the beginning when talking to a potential client about what they want before agreeing to do the event.
You’re never gonna get to have the discussion if they don’t like what they see. People are often blinded by the conversations they’re having, rather than the ones they’re not.
 
I can certainly appreciate the number of brides who have been moved to a good decision in the wake of their conversation with MMM.
 
I can certainly appreciate the number of brides who have been moved to a good decision in the wake of their conversation with MMM.
It's not moving a bride to anything. Find out what they are looking for. Then let them know what you can offer them at their wedding znd take it from there.
 
It's not moving a bride to anything. Find out what they are looking for. Then let them know what you can offer them at their wedding znd take it from there.
I've heard people think like this over and over. Mix, if people see you over and over without a facade, they're inclined to believe it's not something you do. Why would they waste their time and energy calling to ask if you do it. People don't ask about what they don't see. For example... I've removed the tv's from my pricing in the spring... guess what, no one asks me about it anymore. On the flipside, I had a consultation with a bride today... she said "I see this really cool white board for your dj booth in a lot of photos...is this something that's extra or included". She sees it, therefore she asks.

This is like others on here saying people don't ask me for lighting or sparklers or if I mix... if they haven't experienced you do it, or it being done right... why would they call you to see if you CAN do it. They'll just call the person they KNOW will do it.
 
In the 70s, no one asked if cars had cupholders. In the 90s, cupholders caused people to choose one brand over another. Today, no one bothers to ask about them because everyone just expects they will be there. Every industry goes through this.

In my experience, people will ask about the things they've seen that they either really liked or really disliked. They are clueless about the rest. That is why we get so many price questions up front. They have nothing else to ask about.

I have found many people don't want to be informed about DJs. They get a referral and just want to book so they can move on to other things that are more important to them. This type of customer always made me nervous because their needs may be totally different than the person that gave the referral. For instance, I was once booked by the local Greek church for some celebration. A member of the church knew me from the events I did at my daughter's elementary school. I knew nothing about Greek music. I let the church know but they didn't care. They just gave me some CDs to play. I wouldn't have taken that gig though if it had been a wedding.
 
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In my experience, people will ask about the things they've seen that they either really liked or really disliked. They are clueless about the rest. That is why we get so many price questions up front. They have nothing else to ask about.

I have found many people don't want to be informed about DJs.
My experience is that people don't want to be TOLD what they should prioritize - which is very different from working with someone who is BOTH thoughtful and informative about meeting the customer's priority. We can't claim someone is "uninformed" simply because they don't share our priorities. That's arrogant. People are "informed" about what matters to them.

Most DJs (and you can plainly see it in action on the forums) are preaching their own DJ religion to prospects. They leave little or no room for the customer to have their own priorities. Customers are quite savvy and the can pick up on this pretty quick.

I spend far more time listening to a prospect than I do talking. When I do talk - I'm usually asking questions. Most people know what they want - even if they can't put into words. My job is to find those words, and identify the priorities that would make them actionable. When a prospect doesn't have those words then we have to explore their personal preferences by way of examples and their corresponding feelings about them. Meeting clients at their chosen venue helps to make examples real for them and illicit the feelings that will inform the best decisions.

This is one of the areas where full time DJs can excel over the part timer because full time DJs will amass more experience, more examples, in a much shorter period of time. The more people, preferences and specific circumstances we've encountered the better equipped we are to relate to a broader range of clients. As a better witness we can be a far better salesperson and client advocate.
 
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Didn't vote because none of the choices applied to me. While I would never own one, I have no problem with anyone who does. I don't think they will ever go out of style completely, I also don't think that clients judge your performance on whether you have one or not. They may like the way it looks, but they won't refuse to hire you if you DONT have one.
 
Didn't vote because none of the choices applied to me. While I would never own one, I have no problem with anyone who does. I don't think they will ever go out of style completely, I also don't think that clients judge your performance on whether you have one or not. They may like the way it looks, but they won't refuse to hire you if you DONT have one.
Wanna make a bet they won’t hire you?
 
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Didn't vote because none of the choices applied to me. While I would never own one, I have no problem with anyone who does. I don't think they will ever go out of style completely, I also don't think that clients judge your performance on whether you have one or not. They may like the way it looks, but they won't refuse to hire you if you DONT have one.

10 years ago I would have completely agreed with this statement. Today I would disagree. Times have changed with that, and many couples/clients would choose a DJ with a facade over one who does not use one. Especially when they are browsing pictures on sites like Wedding Wire, The Knot etc.

Also, there are wedding planners today that won't use or refer a DJ to their clients that doesn't use a Facade. I had the comment from a planner once that was telling me about the last wedding she did, and the couple chose their own DJ before hiring her on as a DOC. She mentioned a number of things she had problems with, and one of the items was the way his equipment looked, and did mention that the DJ did not have a table top facade like I had.

I don't have a full facade, and I don't have anything expensive. The Dragon Front boards Custom TT Facade was the most expensive, and I think I paid like $159+ $50 shipping for it. The other ones are $130 or less. Even my table top facades I use are noticed by planners as something positive in terms of presentation. I think when it comes to planners, it is something they now expect the Wedding DJs they work with to have either a table top or full facade. At least the ones in the DC area.

When it comes to a budget wedding client. It is something they aren't going to even think about or care about. It may be a plus if the DJ does use one at their wedding. However, When it comes to middle of the road and certainly higher end budget clients it is something they will notice and want....even if it is subconsciously.

Today, there is only one venue I go to where I truly cant use a Facade because of space requirements. They make the DJ use a THIN 6 foot x 15" wide table and it is up against the dance floor, and the DJ has to squeeze in between the table and the wall.
 
10 years ago I would have completely agreed with this statement. Today I would disagree. Times have changed with that, and many couples/clients would choose a DJ with a facade over one who does not use one. Especially when they are browsing pictures on sites like Wedding Wire, The Knot etc.

Also, there are wedding planners today that won't use or refer a DJ to their clients that doesn't use a Facade. I had the comment from a planner once that was telling me about the last wedding she did, and the couple chose their own DJ before hiring her on as a DOC. She mentioned a number of things she had problems with, and one of the items was the way his equipment looked, and did mention that the DJ did not have a table top facade like I had.

I don't have a full facade, and I don't have anything expensive. The Dragon Front boards Custom TT Facade was the most expensive, and I think I paid like $159+ $50 shipping for it. The other ones are $130 or less. Even my table top facades I use are noticed by planners as something positive in terms of presentation. I think when it comes to planners, it is something they now expect the Wedding DJs they work with to have either a table top or full facade. At least the ones in the DC area.

When it comes to a budget wedding client. It is something they aren't going to even think about or care about. It may be a plus if the DJ does use one at their wedding. However, When it comes to middle of the road and certainly higher end budget clients it is something they will notice and want....even if it is subconsciously.

Today, there is only one venue I go to where I truly cant use a Facade because of space requirements. They make the DJ use a THIN 6 foot x 15" wide table and it is up against the dance floor, and the DJ has to squeeze in between the table and the wall.
Another reason why I also bring my own tables. To ensure everything is the way I need it to be. Nothing other than power is needed from the venue. They’re also folding, so really not a lot of space at all in the car.
 
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Another reason why I also bring my own tables. To ensure everything is the way I need it to be. Nothing other than power is needed from the venue. They’re also folding, so really not a lot of space at all in the car.


I bring my own 6 foot and a 4 foot table as well. 4 foot is used for the ceremony, and 6 foot for the reception, but many venues (around 40%-50%) will already have a table skirted and set up for me for the reception. I just use their table after I check to make sure it's sturdy.
 
My experience is that people don't want to be TOLD what they should prioritize - which is very different from working with someone who is BOTH thoughtful and informative about meeting the customer's priority. We can't claim someone is "uninformed" simply because they don't share our priorities. That's arrogant. People are "informed" about what matters to them.

Most DJs (and you can plainly see it in action on the forums) are preaching their own DJ religion to prospects. They leave little or no room for the customer to have their own priorities. Customers are quite savvy and the can pick up on this pretty quick.

I spend far more time listening to a prospect than I do talking. When I do talk - I'm usually asking questions. Most people know what they want - even if they can't put into words. My job is to find those words, and identify the priorities that would make them actionable. When a prospect doesn't have those words then we have to explore their personal preferences by way of examples and their corresponding feelings about them. Meeting clients at their chosen venue helps to make examples real for them and illicit the feelings that will inform the best decisions.

This is one of the areas where full time DJs can excel over the part timer because full time DJs will amass more experience, more examples, in a much shorter period of time. The more people, preferences and specific circumstances we've encountered the better equipped we are to relate to a broader range of clients. As a better witness we can be a far better salesperson and client advocate.
Uninformed was probably not the right choice of word to use there. What I meant to convey is that prospects have assumptions and don't bother to verify that their assumptions are correct. They may have never seen a bad DJ. They may assume that all DJs have all genres in their library. They may assume lighting is always included. As you correctly note, you can only extract those assumptions by asking questions and listening. For instance, when I rent a car, I assume the car will be clean, have a working radio, full tank of gas, cupholders, etc. I don't ask the rental agent about these things. Every once in a while though, I will end up using a rental agency that doesn't fill the tank. They just mark the level of the tank when the car was rented. Now I know to look at that part of the contract.

I agree that a full-time DJ gathers more experience but that doesn't necessarily equate to better sales processes. I know several full-time guys that are their own worst enemies when it comes to sales. They are great DJs but suck at closing deals that are not referrals. There are also the ones that are better at sales than at DJing. They will book a gig that they are incapable of handling. My buddy did that once. He booked a prom for a school that was half Spanish speaking and he had none of the music he needed in his collection. He didn't think to ask about the student body when booking the gig with the administration and the administration didn't think to ask him.
 
I don't know what's in style regarding DJ setups since I haven't been keeping up with what other DJs are doing. I used a pretty nice table topper when I was doing weddings. What I didn't like about it (and most facades) is that it was too high.

Facades are supposed to cover up wires and any equipment that doesn't have a nice look. I prefer more of an open space so the DJ can be seen, yet I always wanted a custom table topper that was just high enough to cover eyesores. Home made toppers and facades rarely look very good so I didn't even attempt making one.

My setup last Saturday didn't look very good at all. But I liked that I could be seen while conducting a game during dinner - even though I was sitting on a stool. Building rapport with guests works better if they can see more than the top of your head! So I would vote for any clean setup that doesn't hide the DJ.
 
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What I meant to convey is that prospects have assumptions and don't bother to verify that their assumptions are correct.

Well, their assumptions ARE correct - because they own them. It's personal.

You can't have it both ways - suggesting clients have incorrect assumptions and then follow that up with a litany of your own:
  • They may have never seen a bad DJ.
  • assume that all DJs have all genres
  • lighting is always included.
Now I know to look at that part of the contract.

In Europe, the salad is served after the main course. This is not about assumptions - it's about experiences. Who's had them and who hasn't?

The very first question I ask by way of polite conversation is: "have you been to many weddings recently? ~ It's a very pertinent question for the young bride because many of her friends or family may also be getting married and the answer immediately informs me about their level of past and present experience.

If it's a bar/bat mitzvah I want to know if the kids attending have been to many other bar mitzvahs because that experience will directly impact what is necessary to engage with them interactively.

I take that even further. When I give someone references to call (past clients) I tell them to also ask the person for something that now, with the benefit of hindsight they would have asked me to do differently. This gives the new client the benefit of past experience - and me the ability to continually improve and learn.

I agree that a full-time DJ gathers more experience but that doesn't necessarily equate to better sales processes.

As a rule - yes it does. You're list of one-off exceptions not withstanding. I would also argue that anyone who's great at sales is great at DJing - because you can only sell sh*t once. I don't think your buddy's Latin prom is an example of either. It's more likely he didn't care enough to be diligent about the sale or the DJing.
 
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I simply don't get your reasoning. An assumption that all DJs include lighting would be incorrect. An assumption that they all have the same music libraries would be incorrect. How does the fact that the prospect is making this assumption make it a correct one?

I don't follow your correlation about DJing and sales either. We have seen several full time jocks on these forums over the years that barely eked out a living. A dozen or more years ago we used to hear countless stories of gig-whores that booked huge numbers of events and then farmed the work out to newbies willing to earn just a few hundred for a wedding. Every market seemed to have one of these guys. These gig whores were clearly good at making the sale but also clearly didn't give a rats ass about customer satisfaction. They counted on the fact the customer assumed that the DJ working their event was trained and vetted by the one making the sale. I used to get calls from such whores several times a year asking if I would take some gig several hours away for a fraction of my regular rate. They didn't ask about my qualifications. They just wanted to know if I would work for their paltry rate. Perhaps we need to thank social media for putting most of these gig whores out of business. I rarely hear about them now.

That said, your line of questioning clearly shows a sales awareness that I rarely see among DJs. It is my estimate that only the top 10-20% of our industry is actually any good at sales. That is how you get to be at the top. You are good on all aspects of your business.
 
I simply don't get your reasoning. An assumption that all DJs include lighting would be incorrect. An assumption that they all have the same music libraries would be incorrect. How does the fact that the prospect is making this assumption make it a correct one?

It's your assumption that these are baseline client assumptions. I assume you're projecting false assumptions by assuming too much.

I don't follow your correlation about DJing and sales either. We have seen several full time jocks on these forums over the years that barely eked out a living.

Yet they were in fact living so, they must have had some other "real" job or someone supporting them (like a parent.)

A dozen or more years ago we used to hear countless stories of gig-whores that booked huge numbers of events and then farmed the work out to newbies willing to earn just a few hundred for a wedding...

These people were never DJs - they were hucksters. DJs, pool-care, landscaping, it was all the same racket. Technology solved the DJ scam because no one cares about a cheap DJ if they own a $300+ iPad with internet access. :) I'm sure there's still school kids and hobbyists getting some short cash and having fun at small gigs, but isn't that the way it's supposed to be?

That said, your line of questioning clearly shows a sales awareness that I rarely see among DJs. It is my estimate that only the top 10-20% of our industry is actually any good at sales.


Only 1 in 10 of all advertised DJ services nationwide operate with any full time owner or employee(s). All of them will be in a major metropolitan area. Second to that are part-time DJs represented by full time entertainment agencies or event planners. Trailing those is the multitude of part-time independent DJs doing it entirely their own way. There's something for everyone.
 
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10 years ago I would have completely agreed with this statement. Today I would disagree. Times have changed with that, and many couples/clients would choose a DJ with a facade over one who does not use one. Especially when they are browsing pictures on sites like Wedding Wire, The Knot etc.

Also, there are wedding planners today that won't use or refer a DJ to their clients that doesn't use a Facade. I had the comment from a planner once that was telling me about the last wedding she did, and the couple chose their own DJ before hiring her on as a DOC. She mentioned a number of things she had problems with, and one of the items was the way his equipment looked, and did mention that the DJ did not have a table top facade like I had.

I don't have a full facade, and I don't have anything expensive. The Dragon Front boards Custom TT Facade was the most expensive, and I think I paid like $159+ $50 shipping for it. The other ones are $130 or less. Even my table top facades I use are noticed by planners as something positive in terms of presentation. I think when it comes to planners, it is something they now expect the Wedding DJs they work with to have either a table top or full facade. At least the ones in the DC area.

When it comes to a budget wedding client. It is something they aren't going to even think about or care about. It may be a plus if the DJ does use one at their wedding. However, When it comes to middle of the road and certainly higher end budget clients it is something they will notice and want....even if it is subconsciously.

Today, there is only one venue I go to where I truly cant use a Facade because of space requirements. They make the DJ use a THIN 6 foot x 15" wide table and it is up against the dance floor, and the DJ has to squeeze in between the table and the wall.
What is a budget wedding client? Everybody has a budget in mind that they want to spend for a product or service. Some have more money to spend to book a DJ then others. Part of it is what do they feel is a real priority. Some don't see the DJ as a top priority. They may change their mind after their event is over depending on how good a job the DJ did. Some will do research before booking a DJ. Some will do great planning for their event to make it successful as possible. Some just see a DJ as someone who is just going to play music. How hard could that be? Some hold a DJ as a top priority for their event. Some will save up the money to book the DJ they want to do their event if they can get that DJ to do their event. Also do remember that after the event is over life still goes on. That means bills still have to be paid. They still have to eat. In other words life goes on. So some clients will have more money to spend to book a DJ then others. It's up to the DJ if they will agree to do the event for a client or not.

I was looking on Craigslist and saw a few ads from DJs. Most were DJs doing events for way below 1k. One DJ said his price to do a wedding was only $3,500. That would suggest that DJ thinks they are worth more then that. If that's the case, then why aren't they getting paid more if what they are saying is true? Hell some DJs don't have that much spent on gear.
 
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Today, there is only one venue I go to where I truly cant use a Facade because of space requirements. They make the DJ use a THIN 6 foot x 15" wide table and it is up against the dance floor, and the DJ has to squeeze in between the table and the wall.

Which venue?
 
Wanna make a bet they won’t hire you?
Well, YOUR clients won't hire me.
In my neighborhood, it's not a problem.

Times have changed with that, and many couples/clients would choose a DJ with a facade over one who does not use one. Especially when they are browsing pictures on sites like Wedding Wire, The Knot etc.
You are making a general statement based on YOUR opinion.
I doubt there is any real evidence to prove your point,
just your own experience.

In nearly 40 years of doing this, NOT ONE CLIENT has ever asked me about a facade.
 
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